Your rights come first. This policy does not remove any right provided by South African law. Where a statutory right gives you a better outcome, it takes priority over the notice periods and charges below.
01. Who this policy covers
This is the standard cancellation, refund and transfer policy of Skills Bench Academy (“Skills Bench”, “we” or “us”). It covers individual learners and organisations booking our short courses, workshops, live online training, self-paced courses, qualifications and group programmes.
It applies to bookings made from 28 October 2026. Earlier bookings keep their agreed terms unless we agree a more favourable arrangement. Any programme-specific variation must be clearly disclosed and agreed before booking; it cannot override applicable consumer rights. This policy does not retrospectively change an existing learner’s agreement.
“Calendar days” include weekends and public holidays. “Business days” exclude Saturdays, Sundays and South African public holidays. Notice is measured from receipt of your cancellation to the scheduled start date.
02. How to request a cancellation
Email herme@skillsbenchh.co.za with your name, programme, booking or invoice reference and the date you wish to cancel. Include the payer’s name and payment details if a refund is requested. A reason is helpful, but is not required to exercise a cancellation right.
You may also send recorded notice by WhatsApp to 083 633 5954. Keep a copy. Your notice takes effect when received, not when we acknowledge it. We aim to acknowledge requests within two business days; contact us again if you have not heard back.
Only provide supporting documents where relevant to your request. Please do not email card security codes, passwords or unnecessary medical details.
03. Your statutory cancellation rights
- Online transactions: where section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act applies, services may be cancelled without reason or penalty within seven days of concluding the agreement, with a full refund within 30 days of cancellation. Statutory exceptions apply, including services begun with your consent during that period. Issuing login credentials alone does not establish that consent.
- Direct marketing: where section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act applies, a five-business-day cooling-off period and its refund rules apply. It does not apply where ECTA section 44 applies.
- Fixed-term consumer agreements: where CPA section 14 applies, you may cancel on 20 business days’ recorded notice, subject to amounts properly due and a reasonable cancellation charge. Section 14 does not apply to agreements between juristic persons.
- Death or hospitalisation: no cancellation fee applies where CPA section 17(5) covers the learner’s inability to honour the booking. We may request reasonable evidence.
We will also consider serious illness and other exceptional circumstances individually. Nothing here limits remedies for deficient services.
04. Scheduled courses & workshops
For a dated short course, workshop or live training booking cancelled before it begins, the following are maximum cancellation charges, not automatic deductions. They do not replace cooling-off rights or the fixed-term rules above.
| Notice received | Maximum charge |
|---|---|
| 15 days or more | No cancellation charge; full refund of booking fees paid. |
| 7–14 days | Up to 25% of the agreed booking fee. |
| 1–6 days | Up to 50% of the agreed booking fee. |
| On the start date or non-attendance | Up to 100%, only where justified by the circumstances and permitted by law. |
We assess what is reasonable using the notice given, the service booked, costs we cannot recover, costs saved and our ability to fill the place. Charges are reduced where a replacement booking or avoided costs reduce the loss. We provide an itemised explanation and do not recover the same cost twice.
For this schedule, the booking fee includes any deposit and disclosed registration or administration amounts: these are not extra penalties added above the cap. Refunds equal amounts paid less the justified charge. Any unpaid balance is limited to the amount lawfully due.
For bespoke group training, the signed quotation may set out preparation work and committed third-party costs. If no specific terms were agreed in advance, this standard policy applies. A “non-refundable” label does not override the law.
05. Online courses & ongoing programmes
Unused self-paced learning: as an additional Academy benefit, we offer a full refund within seven calendar days of purchase if no learning content has been used or downloaded and no teaching or assessment service has been delivered. This benefit does not narrow any statutory right.
After learning starts: we assess the training, support, materials and assessments actually supplied, together with any reasonable cancellation charge legally permitted. We give you a breakdown and refund the unused balance where due. Opening an account or missing a class does not automatically forfeit the entire programme fee.
For qualifications and instalment arrangements, the cancellation date and any notice period follow the applicable agreement and law. Instalments are a payment method; cancelling does not automatically make all future instalments payable. We reconcile the account and confirm any final amount due or refundable.
External assessment or registration costs may be retained only where actually incurred, disclosed before booking and legally recoverable. Any refund recovered from the third party is credited to the payer. On effective cancellation, access to the cancelled programme ends; existing assessment records remain subject to applicable retention and certification requirements.
06. Transfers, substitutions & exceptional circumstances
You may request one transfer to an available intake of the same programme within six months. Where at least seven calendar days’ notice is given, we do not charge an Academy transfer fee. Any price difference or unavoidable external charge must be explained and accepted before the transfer is confirmed. Later requests are considered individually.
A suitable substitute may attend a short course if you notify us before it starts and the substitute meets the entry requirements. We do not charge an Academy substitution fee. Individual qualification registrations, assessments and learner accounts cannot simply be handed to someone else; we will explain any registration requirements.
A transfer or credit is optional where you are entitled to a refund. If no suitable alternative is available, your cancellation request is assessed using the date we first received it. Illness, bereavement and other exceptional circumstances will be handled sensitively, in addition to the rights in section 03.
07. If Skills Bench changes or cancels training
If we cancel a course before it starts, you may choose a full refund of fees paid for that booking or an available alternative. If we materially change its date, venue or delivery format and the change does not suit you, you may cancel the affected booking without a cancellation charge and receive the refund due. We will not require you to accept a credit instead of a refund.
If delivery is interrupted after commencement, we will explain the options to complete the programme or refund the undelivered portion, without limiting any greater legal entitlement. We will communicate disruptions promptly, including those involving external assessment bodies.
If training or access is faulty or materially different from what was promised, report the issue so we can investigate and provide the remedy required by law, including correction, repeat performance or an appropriate refund. This policy does not exclude liability or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded.
08. Refund processing & complaints
We aim to give a written outcome, calculation and payment timeline within ten business days of receiving the necessary information, and to process an agreed refund within ten business days after that outcome. Any applicable statutory deadline takes priority and is not extended by our internal review. In particular, applicable ECTA cooling-off refunds are due within 30 days of cancellation; CPA direct-marketing refunds follow the statutory 15-business-day timetable.
Refunds normally go to the original payer using the original payment method. Employer-funded fees are refunded to the employer unless another arrangement is authorised. If secure bank verification is needed, we will explain the process. Bank processing time may affect when funds appear.
If you disagree with an outcome, request a review by the Principal, Herme Slabber, using the contact details below. You may also approach the relevant ombud, the National Consumer Commission or another competent dispute-resolution body. Internal review is not a condition for exercising a legal remedy.
Need to change your booking?
Contact Skills Bench Academy with your programme and booking reference.
Policy owner: Principal, Skills Bench Academy. Future amendments apply prospectively and do not reduce rights attached to an existing booking.
Legal references
This policy is intended to operate alongside the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, its applicable regulations and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, where applicable. See also the National Consumer Commission’s guidance on reasonable cancellation charges.